The Official Soup Sponsor of the NFL is bringing back its “Mama’s Boy” campaign this season, via Y&R New York. Campbell’s selected Victor Cruz, New York Giants wide receiver and Super Bowl XLVI champion, as the new face of the campaign, which was first introduced in 1997.
Cruz will be featured in a series of TV and print ads as well as social media that kick off this week to coincide with Week One of the 2012 NFL season.
Campbell’s spokesperson Liesl Henderson tells RBR-TVBR the spot will air on cable nets, including:
· A&E
· ABC Family
· AMC
· Biography
· Bravo
· Cooking
· E!
· Food Network
· HGTV
· Lifetime
· Lifetime Movie Network
· Nick-at-Nite
· Style
· TBS
· TNT
· USA
· WE
· Spike
· F/X
· History
· Comedy Central
· TRU TV
· NFL Network
Known for having a close relationship with both his mother and grandmother, Cruz was a natural fit for the “Mama’s Boy” campaign. A rising star in the NFL last year, Cruz captured the attention of football fans nationwide with a breakout NFL season and revealed his fun-loving personality with his signature “Salsa Dance” touchdown celebration. A native of Paterson, NJ, Cruz is not only an amazing athlete on the field, but is also very active in his community.
In addition to the ads, Campbell is serving up three new varieties of Chunky soup that are sure to appeal to guys who are looking for bolder flavors: Chipotle Chicken and Corn Chowder, Kickin’ Buffalo-Style Chicken and Jammin’ Jerk Chicken with Rice & Beans.
Cruz follows in the footsteps of numerous high-profile NFL players who were previously involved with the “Mama’s Boy” campaign; including Hall of Famers like John Elway, Terrell Davis and Jerome Bettis and other well-known players like Kurt Warner, Donovan McNabb and Michael Strahan. The campaign originally ran from 1997 to 2008 and has featured both actresses and real moms alongside the NFL players. For the current campaign the role of Cruz’ mother and grandmother are played by actresses. In the first television spot, titled “Mascot,” Cruz is called to the sideline by his stand-in mom, disguised as a team mascot, to serve him a bowl of Chunky soup. The print ads will appear in sports and men’s magazines.
To further connect with the core Chunky soup eater, the brand will also launch a Twitter campaign (@CampbellsChunky) to encourage fans to share their #ChunkyAudible mealtime solution when they’re presented with a less-than-satisfying dish. Football-related digital ads will run on sports-dedicated websites with a focus on fantasy football and NFL content.
